The invention relates to a projectile to be launched by firearms used in big game hunting. The projectile is provided with a tip of hard material that is retained by means of a stem, integral with the tip, in the front part of a body formed by two parts coupled to each other by the stem itself, all of this with a number of particularities and novelties that will be disclosed in the course of the present specification, and among which can be cited that of being provided with several helical grooves in its lateral surface that, with an inclination similar to that of the rifled barrels, provide good stabilization of the projectile when it is launched, as well as a long range.
An object of the invention is to provide hunters with a projectile that, when impacting on an animal, produces either a deformation or an explosion of the front body of the projectile transforming it into shrapnel, to provide maximum effectiveness in use of the projectile.
Conventionally, the projectiles used in hunting guns have usually had a smooth external surface, which gives rise to a lack of stabilization in the discharge and also a range which is not very long.
Nevertheless, a projectile is known that is formed by two bodies, with the cooperation of a third, with the front body functioning as a front tip and being formed of a harder material than the body immediately to the rear, since the third body is of a plastic nature.
The body functioning as a tip is of conical configuration and its base is provided with an independent nut mounted on an axial stem extending rearwardly. The nut is housed in the mouth of a cavity, with which the front base of the second body is equipped for this purpose, usually with a cylindrical configuration and generally formed of lead.
The third body, or rear body, is coupled to the preceding one by means of projections of the front part of that third body, located in a rear recess of the second body, while the group of the three bodies forms a single piece by means of a rear nut fixed on the stem end, which presses against the external and rear base of the third body.
The body so constituted is also provided with helical grooves in the sense of generatrices to direct and stabilize the discharge of the projectile.
Based on the projectile type referred to in the above section, a number of improvements and innovations have been provided, from which derive remarkable advantages, as will be disclosed in the course of the present description.
One of the improvements of the projectile of the invention is that the end of the tip of hard material, preferably steel, is truncated instead of being pointed, i.e. the tip proper of the cone is truncated forming a tapered body. Also, the nut located in the mouth of the cavity corresponding to the base of the second (middle) lead body, has been omitted. Instead, the three bodies are fixed and retained together by means of a rear nut provided at the stem end, abutting against the rear base of the third body which has plastic properties.
Another novel characteristic presented by the projectile is that the general body, instead of being cylindrical, is slightly tapered, in which the diameter of the rear base is slightly larger than the diameter of the front base.
Another improvement is that the rear portion of the third body presents a flat end portion, which defines a smooth band in which terminate the ends of the grooves, that band fitting in the interior and completely smooth surface of the bore of the firearm, with the object of avoiding or preventing leakage of the gases generated in the explosion, obtaining thus greater effectiveness in the discharge.
Another improvement is that the second body, i.e. the one disposed between the hard tip and the rear plastic body, is provided over its entire length with a chamber or passage. With this chamber, when the projectile impacts on a hard part of an animal, the tip is compressed to thereby compress the air in the chamber to cause an explosion transforming the main body into shrapnel. If the impact occurs on a soft part of the animal, the body is deformed and expands to approximately a twofold increase of its diameter.